GoI prolonging Kuki-Meetei conflict: KYKL
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 25 2025:

Continued from previous issue

Continuing his message delivered to the people on the 31st Raising Day of the organisation celebrated on April 25, KYKL chairman N Oken, while recounting the remark of prominent scholar in the field of psychology of liberation professor Hussain A Bulhan, Frantz Fanon University, Somaliland made in 2015, said that every coloniser particularly European countries do three things: 'assault on the world of things', 'assault on the world of people' and 'assault on the world of meaning'.

If looked closely into professor Hussain Bulhan's idea and thought on psychology of liberation, India's occupation of Manipur in 1949 was the beginning of 'assault on the world of things' and the ongoing war waged by the Kukis is the preparation for extracting resources.

In fact, India began 'assault on world of things' very early in Manipur and then aided outsiders in settling in Manipur after 1949.During the time Of liberation of Bangladesh, many refugees from Bangladesh were kept in Manipur.

Gradually, Manipur became market for things produced by industries established in India after independence.

Today, scores of youth from Manipur are being recruited into Indian forces and utilised them to defend country's high altitudes frontiers like Ladakh, Doklam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Assault on the World of meaning in Manipur had already begun with the strong impact of education, TV, radio, media and cinema with the impact profound today.

Haying already followed Hinduism, it was not difficult for India to colonise mind and soul of the Meeteis.

As such, the Meeteis have changed their tradition now and unknowingly followed tradition of the mainland Indians commonly referred to as 'Mayang' locally.

The Meeteis have imitated traditions of the 'Mayang' people even in marriage ceremonies and speak Hindi irrespective of being educated or un-educated.

All these are results of dropping of 'cultural bomb' in phased manner and Dr Bulhan described it as 'from the occupation of land to the occupation of Being'.

'Occupation of land' means occupation of land of the colonised people by colonial power but the meaning of 'Occupation of Being' is very vast as it involves not just occupation of body, mind, soul, interest, outlook, thought but also complete occupation of entirecomponent of human beings.

In other word, a person would not be human being or can be termed non 'existent' if 'Being' has been completely occupied, Oken said and recalled how the USA adopted the policy of 'elimination or extermination' to systematically occupy the 'Being' .of Red Indians in 1838-1839.The same policy is being adopted by India to occupy 'Being' of the people of Manipur and reached 'occupation of Being' stage now.

Continuing his message, Oken said that India did not immediately used harsh tactics or weapons of suppressing in the initial phase of occupation of Manipur as majority of the people during the time seemingly accepted the merger and thought the merger similar to the status under British paramountcy before 1947.However, it is a fact that the British India gave much freedom to internal affairs though grabbed full power in external affairs.

Newly formed India started suppression of common people in Manipur with the promulgation of Armed Forces' Special Powers Act, 1958 in the hills from 1958 and throughout Manipur from 1980.The suppression from 1958 almost removed instinct from the entire male population while many villages in the hills were torched and scores of women raped both in the hills and valley.

Apart from this, many innocent civilians were executed in the name of counter insurgency operation while many disappeared involuntarily by Indian security forces.

Under the guise of this draconian legislation, there had been numerous incidents of torture of innocent civilians without any reason and muzzling of voices of intellectuals and media persons.

In fact, hill areas of Manipur had been under military rule for 67 years with the same law enforced in the valley for 45 years, Oken said adding that excessive suppression was made intentionally to build 'inferiority complex' in the mind and soul of the people of Manipur.

According to Oken, the economy of Manipur did not rely on others before 1949, survived self-sufficiently and had no 'dependency complex'.

However, from the year 1949 till the time of statehood in 1972, India's economic policy completely occupied and converted the self-sufficiency economy of Manipur into dependent economy.

With the gradual development of dependency complex among the people, Manipur became a society completely reliant on grants-in-aid from Delhi for survival and have no trust to survive with indigenous production.

Development of dependency complex indeed is a colonial project of India and this has brought a deep-rooted dependency complex of larger magnitude among the people.

With the maturation of dependency complex, 'inferiority complex' too has almost reached its objective now, Oken said and claimed that 'inferiority complex' has entered into the arteries of the people of Manipur.

Oken continued in his message that 'dependency complex' and 'inferiority complex' among the people of Manipur is highest among wealthier sections of the society followed by middle class section and least among the commoners.

Both the 'dependency complex' and 'inferiority complex' spread gradually from the top to the bottom sections of the society and the 'Mayang' people will have 'superiority complex' the more 'inferiority complex' of the colonised people (of Manipur) grows.

The same holds true of 'Mayang' leaders having 'colonial' mindset and 'superiority complex' against our ministers/MLAs, Oken said while referring to 'Colonial ideology - an ideology of racial and cultural hierarchy' remark of professor Robin D G Kelly.

Concluding his message, the KYKL chairman said the people of Manipur should accept that they are under a colonial administration and have become colonised people.

With the realisation of this fact, people of Manipur will find the right path/strategy for self-protection and survival.

Ultimately, people will change their mindset and spontaneously develop a collective decolonization strategy, Oken said while maintaining that knowledge will save us and survive.

(Concluded) .

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